Loading gauge for centrifugal baskets



y ,1933. E. ROBERTS LOADING GAUGE FOR CENTRIFUGAL BASKETS Filed July 19, 1930 gtaf' Egg a Patented *M a y*2,- .1933 o OF CE 1- "T EUeENEnoBERTsor-nas'rmes, new Yoax i p LOADING GAUGE 'roRfcENrnIroeAL; Bn sxnrs Application filed July 19,

wT-hisinvention relates to centrifugals of the type used in sugar refineries and the like j for centrifugally extracting juices or liquid from'solid grains of material with which the liquid is mixed'and isintended to provide a means for: accurately "gauging the thickness-of the sugar or other material that is walled-up on the inside of the centrifugal basket during the operation of the machine.

Heretofore, the individual operator has been. obliged to depend on his own judgment as to the thickness of the sugar wall-to be builtup inside the basket" fortreatment,

. which is determined primarily by the 2'5 must find its way through thewall to the perforated surrounding wall of the basket.

. The present invention provides a means for obviating these troubles by. furnishing an automaticgauge that will plainly indi- 0 cat'eto the attendant the fact that a predetermined :"thickness :of wall has [been reached. ifFurthermore, the device is V capable of .being used merely as an'indicatorgto inform: the 'operator whenthe supply of material should be ,cut ofi orit maybe used callyin various ways. Tothis end the invention comprises a conr; tact member or gauge movably supported in 5' positionto project inside, the centrifugal basket toward the peripheral wall thereof,

its position beingdet'ermined by redeter-i mined adjustments accordlng to. t ethickness of the wallof material that is to be built' up in any particular case. This, gauging member, when the wallhasreache'd the-predetermined thickness, is' then pushed outwardly by 'conta'ctwiththejinside face of the sugar wall, thereby giving visible indication that the supply should be cut oflf. This and of :material to the basket.

on'the'outer end ofthe pointer;

to cutoff the supply of; material l o r from the usual overhead mixer and its open 5 Upon the top ring 2' of. he basket sur iaao. Serial No. 469,186.

other features characterizing the invention will be particularly explained in the following; specification and'will be defined in the claims hereto-annexed. H a

In the accompanyingdrawing 1 Fig. 1 rep-resentsin front elevationfthe parts of a'centrifugalmachine necessaryto an-understanding of this'improvement with e which are associated the various" parts for gauging the thickness ofth e sugar wall and cutting off 'the 'supply of sugar.

; Fig.2 isfanenlarged detail view showing in plan a portion of the top. of thecurb' or casing surrounding the centrifugal' basket on whichis mounted the gauging device.

. ig. '3 is a vertical sectionthrough the basket wall and curb showing in elevation the gauging device. 3 I I Fig. 4'is"..afront elevation shown in sec .tion'showing a modified' form of actuating device for automatically shutting off the flow Fig. 5 is a detail view showing in side elevation the electric terminal and contact piece @111 the accompanying drawing .is shown a well known. type of sugar centrifugal basket 3 surmounted by the usualinclined top ring or plate 4 and surroundedby the usual closed curb or casing '1 having aninwardly projecting top ring 2 overhanging the top-of the a centrifugal basket; The centrifugal basket J is'suspended from 'any'well known type of overhead bearing not here shown by means of a central suspensionshaft 5. I The sugar delivery spout 7 leads down delivery nozzle is closed by a circularggate. or plate 8 attached to a hand lever 9, fulcrumed at 10, and usually carrying on its rear 9 end a counterbalance weightlL Thesedelivery spouts and closing gates. are -well known'in the art and may be of any suitable construction with the usual accessories not necessary to be sh'own in' this case. 9

rounding casing is mounted a'bracket 15 of any-suitable form, but WhlCll'lIl this case is 'in 'the form approximately ofa T whose I radial arm is bolted to the top ring sons to f 'dicates that the fourinch thickness has overhang the inner edge of the top ring. At its inner end the bracket 15 is provided with a bearing boss 15 in which is mounted a rotatable spindle 16 to whose lower end is secured a spoon-like paddle or gauge member 17.

A torsion spring 19 tends to swing the spindle 16 in a counterclockwise direction. On the upper end of the spindle 16 is secured an indicator arm or finger 18, which projects outwardly beyond the cross member 15 of the supporting bracket, and this cross member is provided with a'series of spaced holes or sockets 15 substantially parallel with the periphery of the curb. A removable stop pin 29 is adapted to be inserted in any one of these socket openings according to the thickness of sugar wall which it is desired to build up inside the basket. This stop pin in its various positions of adjustment serves to limit the inward movement or travel of the gauge member 17*? to any desired distance away from the peripheral wall of the basket :5 and therefore determinesthe gauging position at which the building-up wall of sugar comes in contact with the gauge member 17, which contact serves to push the gauge member inwardly. toward the center of the basket, thereby causing the indicator arm or pointer 18 to swing away from' the stop pin 29. It the pin in the middle position, as shown, faces the position of the gauge member 17 at four inches from the peripheralwall of-the basket, then any increase of thickness of the sugar wall beyond four inches moves the pointer away from the stop pin and by that fact inbeen reached. v As this indicator or pointer is in plain sight of the operator, heis instantly apprised that the wall hasbuilt up tothe four inch thickness and has merely toclose the gate 8, which admits the material into the basket. th-uscutting off the supply- The centrifugal foreman can set these pin according to his expert judgment and the operators no'l'onger depend upon their individual judgment but have a plain, reliable indication when the time comes to cut off the supply.

The same apparatus may be used to automatically cut oil the supply of sugar to the basket at a predetermined point in various ways. V

In Fig. 1 is illustrated an arrangement by which the gauge and its connected indicating pointer may be employed to energize an electrically controlled gate-actuating motor. in the form of a solenoid 25 mounted .above the centrifugal, whose plunger 25 is provided with a link connection 26 with lever 27 fulcrumed at 27 and carrying at its free end a pivotal link 28, terminating at its lower end in a hook E28 positioned below the short weighted arm of the lever 9.

An electric conductor a2 is attached to the free end of the pointer 18 and carries an insulated contact plate 18 on the side opposite the stop pin 29 arranged in position to form a contact with a terminal pin 20, which is connected with the solenoid by the other wire y of the electric circuit. Obviously, so long as the torsion spring 19 keeps the pointer 18 in contact with the stop pin 29, the circuit my is open, but when the gauge is moved inward a short distance against the tension of the spring by contact of the sugar wall the contact plate 18 comes in contact with the terminal pin 20 toclose the circuit. To prevent short-circuiting or grounding the terminal pin 20 is covered with a ring of insulating material 20*, which fits into the row of sockets 15.

Instead oiusing an electric current .to operate the actuating arm 27 that closes the delivery spout, I may use a smaller electric actuator 30, which acts to control the application of power to indirectly cause the dos ing of the-gate 8. I

In Fig. i I have illustrated a compressed air-cylinder 31, whose reciprocating piston 32 is connected with, the gate-actuating link 27, the compressed air being admitted through a. "alve chamber 33 by means of a rocking valve 34: which admits compressed air from the air line pipe 35 in one position and which vents the compressed air cylinder inthe other position, the actuating arm at tached to the end of said valve being connected by means of links 36, 37 with a small magnet or solenoid 30.

Hence, it will be seen that the motor or actuator, which moves the gate arm 9, may

be actuated directly by means of the current closed by the pointer 18, or said gate arm may be actuated by a separate motor device whose action is controlled by the closing of the circuit or by the indicator or pointer.

It will be seen that the socket piece, in which the stop pin is adjustably mounted, constitutes in effect'an indicating dial in association with the pointer to indicate differentdistances of the outside face off the contact arm. from the basket wall, so that when the contact arm begins/to move inward the thickness of the sugar wall is plainly indicated.

7 that I claim is:

1. Means for controlling the loading of a centrifugal basket, embracing a contact member supported inside the basket and adjustable to any predetermined distance from the wall of the basket, a cutofi' valve for cutting oil the supply of material to the hasket, means for closing said cut-off valve, said means being set in action by the closing of an electric circuit through a terminal that is adjustable to various positions, and a circuit closer actuated by the movement of the contact member into contact relation with said adjustable terminal. 7

2.- In a loading control device 'fora centrifugal basket, the combination of a contact arm mounted to permitinward and outward movement of the contactarm, means normal- 1y acting to move said contactmember outwardly toward the basket wall, an indicating v pointer connected with the contact arm to 1 i move therewith, said pointerbeing mounted above the basket and its casing and movable 7 against an adjustable stop member which limits the outward movement of the contact arm to predetermined distances from the basket wall.

3. The combination with acentrifugal com- I prising a centrifugal basket and its casing,

a vertical rock spindle mounted in a support projecting inwardly from the top of the casing, a contact arm secured to the lower end of said spindle to permit movement inside the basket toward and from the basket wall, a spring connected with said spindle to normall press the contact arm outward, an outwar lyprojecting pointer. secured to the upper end of said spindle and movable over a series of sockets, and a sto gagementof the pointer with said stop pin, the contact arm being movable inwardly under pressure of the built-up wall of material and thereby giving indication of the thickness of the builtrup wall through the movement of the pointer away from the stop 4. A loading guage for a centrifugal bas- 1 ket embracing, a contact member mounted to have movement toward any away from the central basket shaftand disposed in position a to be engaged by the inwardly building wall ofmaterial and to be moved thereby toward said central shaft in correlation with the thickness of said inwardly built material and an indicating pointer operably connected with and moved by said contact member over 7 an associated dialhto indicate the thickness of the walled-up material inside of the basket.

In witness whereof, I have subscribed the i above specification.

EUGENE ROBERTS.

7 pin insertable 7 into any predetermined soc et to limit the outward movement of the contact arm by en- 

